Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 2907-2911 (2nd - 6th March 2015)
Aziraphale:
--- Quote from: Emperor Norton on 05 Mar 2015, 06:55 ---
--- Quote from: Half Empty Coffee Cup on 05 Mar 2015, 06:05 ---
--- Quote from: Neko_Ali on 05 Mar 2015, 05:40 ---I am beginning to find the conversations around the comics rather disheartening. Either we have a bunch of strips where people are being cute and squee-worthy and many people complain that it's to much, the characters are to flat and there is no dramatic tension. Or there is some sort of drama going on, and everyone wants to rip all the characters involved to shreds, psychoanalyzing every comment and declaring that the characters are the Worst People Ever. I guess it's a good thing I don't write a web comic. I probably would have just thrown up my hands by now.
--- End quote ---
I'm starting to get to this point myself.
--- End quote ---
I always find myself defending characters, because it seems like every character has a hateclub ready to jump on them the moment they do anything even remotely not perfect.
I swear, if some of the people in the forum were as strict with the behavior of real life people as they are with QC characters, there is no way they actually still have friends.
--- End quote ---
Depends on the character. Faye can be abrasive as hell, but she's also been a good friend to several in the cast when push came to shove. Dora's been tone-deaf in how she's handled her friends and family, but also gave both Sven and Faye several shots at getting it right before she ditched them. Marten's a nice guy who just happens to be a bit too chill and happens to put his foot halfway down his throat from time to time.
See a pattern yet? You can acknowledge that someone has their good points and acknowledge their flaws. Neither one makes the other impossible. But if you mention that Dora's made some boneheaded moves recently, for instance, without first laying out a litany of disclaimers as to her (non-existent) saintliness, everybody gets their noses out of joint.
And that's further complicated by Marigold, who's taken far more from nearly everyone she's encountered than she's given (the exception being Momo). Nobody's saying she's evil. She's just a lot more immature, selfish and self-centered than anybody over the age of twelve has any right to be, and to some of us, that joke isn't funny anymore... She's not the "worst person ever." God knows, I've known far worse. But her behavior is grating for the same reason that people like that in real life -- who won't do the bare minimum to maintain a friendship, and who only value what they can take from others -- are the kind of people that most of us wouldn't like, and would keep at arm's length if we had the chance.
eschaton:
--- Quote from: Aziraphale on 05 Mar 2015, 10:13 ---And that's further complicated by Marigold, who's taken far more from nearly everyone she's encountered than she's given (the exception being Momo). Nobody's saying she's evil. She's just a lot more immature, selfish and self-centered than anybody over the age of twelve has any right to be, and to some of us, that joke isn't funny anymore... She's not the "worst person ever." God knows, I've known far worse. But her behavior is grating for the same reason that people like that in real life -- who won't do the bare minimum to maintain a friendship, and who only value what they can take from others -- are the kind of people that most of us wouldn't like, and would keep at arm's length if we had the chance.
--- End quote ---
In a way I applaud Jeph for how he wrote Marigold. The cliche thing to do is to appeal to introverted nerds by making the introverted nerd character someone with hidden depths which are waiting to burst out - a leavening of personality features (wit, empathy, intelligence, etc) which are not immediately visible because of how awkward they are with people they don't know. Jeph inverted this expectation, by making Marigold, under her rough, defensive, unlikable exterior pretty unlikable on the inside as well.
Isyrion:
Damn Marigold you are playing with fire right now. If Hanners was giving me that look I swear I would shit myself. Marigold you might want to start listening.
Mr. Black Licorice:
--- Quote from: Emperor Norton on 05 Mar 2015, 06:55 ---
--- Quote from: Half Empty Coffee Cup on 05 Mar 2015, 06:05 ---
--- Quote from: Neko_Ali on 05 Mar 2015, 05:40 ---I am beginning to find the conversations around the comics rather disheartening. Either we have a bunch of strips where people are being cute and squee-worthy and many people complain that it's to much, the characters are to flat and there is no dramatic tension. Or there is some sort of drama going on, and everyone wants to rip all the characters involved to shreds, psychoanalyzing every comment and declaring that the characters are the Worst People Ever. I guess it's a good thing I don't write a web comic. I probably would have just thrown up my hands by now.
--- End quote ---
I'm starting to get to this point myself.
--- End quote ---
I always find myself defending characters, because it seems like every character has a hateclub ready to jump on them the moment they do anything even remotely not perfect.
I swear, if some of the people in the forum were as strict with the behavior of real life people as they are with QC characters, there is no way they actually still have friends.
--- End quote ---
I'm with you. I find all of the characters in QC likeable in one way or another, even with all their foibles. It's a lot like real life, in that way - real life isn't full of bad guys and good guys, just flawed people trying to do their best... succeeding sometimes and failing sometimes.
Aziraphale:
--- Quote from: eschaton on 05 Mar 2015, 11:32 ---
--- Quote from: Aziraphale on 05 Mar 2015, 10:13 ---And that's further complicated by Marigold, who's taken far more from nearly everyone she's encountered than she's given (the exception being Momo). Nobody's saying she's evil. She's just a lot more immature, selfish and self-centered than anybody over the age of twelve has any right to be, and to some of us, that joke isn't funny anymore... She's not the "worst person ever." God knows, I've known far worse. But her behavior is grating for the same reason that people like that in real life -- who won't do the bare minimum to maintain a friendship, and who only value what they can take from others -- are the kind of people that most of us wouldn't like, and would keep at arm's length if we had the chance.
--- End quote ---
In a way I applaud Jeph for how he wrote Marigold. The cliche thing to do is to appeal to introverted nerds by making the introverted nerd character someone with hidden depths which are waiting to burst out - a leavening of personality features (wit, empathy, intelligence, etc) which are not immediately visible because of how awkward they are with people they don't know. Jeph inverted this expectation, by making Marigold, under her rough, defensive, unlikable exterior pretty unlikable on the inside as well.
--- End quote ---
Well, she's smart (i.e., book smart). But practically no common sense, empathy, or emotional intelligence. If it's pointed out to her that she's screwed up, she sometimes gets it. But this is far from the first time that Hanners has reached out to her looking for the same friendship or support that she's given, only to be met with a "What was the middle thing?"
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